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Sternberg's Theory of Love

             For centuries people have tried to explain the mysterious phenomenon that is love. Is it an emotion that can simply just not be explained or is it more like a chemical reaction? Is it the feeling you get when you're with your significant other or the is it feeling you get when your with your family? Is there only one type of love or are there many? If you ask around people will give you many different answers. A man named Robert Sternberg came up with a theory. He said that love was attributed to combinations of three things intimacy, passion, and commitment. Intimacy according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is "something of a personal or private nature." Passion is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary has "a strong sexual or romantic feeling for someone." Commitment is "a promise to be loyal to someone or something" according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. These three characteristics can be grouped together in different combination or even left alone completely. Now without further I ado I give you Sternberg's theory of love.
             Let us begin with intimacy. If you are intimate someone you are likely to tell them your secrets and they know personal things. Accord to Sternberg's theory if there is only intimacy in the relationship it is "liking". The people who you "like" are your friends. They know a lot about you personally and that's what drive your relationship, the ability to trust them with your personal life. Now if you take that intimacy and add commitment you get what Sternberg called "Companionate Love". This love is found often in long term relationship such as marriages where passion (as defined above) is no longer present. If there is intimacy and passion in a relationship Sternberg consider that "Romantic Love". In this relationship lover are drawn both physical and emotionally, but are not committed to each other.


Essays Related to Sternberg's Theory of Love

1. Nature Vs Nurture

(Sternberg 100) The question of nature vs. nurture can be examined and can be attempted to be comprehended in many ways. ... I value the strong significance of friendships that I have built in my life while the most valued aspect of her life holds her love for working with children. ... The early psychologist Erik Erikson attempted to develop a theory about personality development called psycho social theory of personality development. Obviously, Erikson is in favor of the nurture view he defined his theory as "how social factors interact with personality throughout the entire life span" (Ster...

  • Word Count: 784
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Nature Vs Nurture

(Sternberg 100) The question of nature vs. nurture can be examined and can be attempted to be comprehended in many ways. ... I value the strong significance of friendships that I have built in my life while the most valued aspect of her life holds her love for working with children. ... The early psychologist Erik Erikson attempted to develop a theory about personality development called psycho social theory of personality development. Obviously, Erikson is in favor of the nurture view he defined his theory as "how social factors interact with personality throughout the entire life span" (Ster...

  • Word Count: 787
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Individuals and Families in a

Sternberg, Robert States that, at some level, lay people recognize what many psychologists don't: that the love between two people follows a story. ... Robert came up with the theory of love as a story because he like many was dissatisfied not only with other people's work on love, but also with his own. I had initially proposed a triangular theory of love, suggesting that it comprises three elements: intimacy, passion and commitment (Robert, 2000:1). ... According to Robert Sternberg, couples usually start out being physically attracted and having similar int...

  • Word Count: 1045
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Love

What is Love? ... Fromm Stated that there are Five Types of Love Brotherly Love Motherly Love Erotic Love Self Love and, Love of God Most people see the problem of love primarily as that of being loved rather than that of loving, of one's capacity to LOVE. ... Robert Sternberg (Bennett, 1985) had a theory that there are three components to love: (1) Intimacy = baring souls, sharing, liking, and bonding (a slowly developing emotional-interpersonal involvement, as in a friendship). (2) Passion = sexual attraction (an instant or quickly developing motivation or addiction...

  • Word Count: 1708
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Intelligence in a new light

In an edited book, Practical Intelligence: Nature and Origins of Competence in the Everyday World, Sternberg and Wagner (1986) present a variety of studies under headings such as "Intelligence on the Job," "Intelligence in Daily Life," "The Development of Practical Intelligence," and "Cross-Cultural Approaches to Practical Intelligence." ... Interestingly, among the many studies and analyses of practical intelligence presented in Sternberg and Wagner's (1986) book, almost no consideration is given to the place of emotions in coping with life's problems. ... In attempting to understan...

  • Word Count: 2348
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: Graduate

6. Psychology in "Jerry Maquire"

According to Sternberg's theory of love, love consists of three components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. ... Their love was empty love. ... Their love started as an infatuated love, or love at first sight. ... I love you. ... These words "You complete me- actually meant that their triangular theory of love became complete. ...

  • Word Count: 1001
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7. The Male Gaze

From a semiotic perception, it triggers a "make love not war" theme for the audience. ... Using masochistic theory, females can identify themselves with Barbarella as she now owns what the male lacks, which is the breast and the womb (Studlar, 1985). ... With the vamp being exported from Europe and integrated into the Hollywood cinema, it revitalizes the female spectator the pleasure experience of the mother as the love object in early childhood. ... Using this film as an example, I want to stress out how Sigmund Freud's theory on the role of process of identification can be applied here....

  • Word Count: 3430
  • Approx Pages: 14
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. The Simpons

Perhaps the religious cultural message may be a representation of America and religion; a lot go to church, many out of obligation and nothing else (von Sternberg 1998). ... In their definition of popular culture Edgar and Sedgwick (1999 p. 286) use the theory of hegemony to explain that popular culture is interpreted individually, taking into consideration the separate circumstances, experiences, and environment of a viewer. ... Yet every-time his efforts to change fail, Marge reminds him (to which he agrees) that he has love and honesty and a happy home and that's all that matters. ...

  • Word Count: 2155
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography

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